A Complete Family Photo

Left Row (men) – Robert Lee, Bong, Cuthbert, Johnny

Left Row (ladies) – Sze Min, Meng, Cindy, Lily

Left Row (squat) – Me, Johannes, Sophia, Siang

Right Row (men) – Gordon, Dylan, Adrian

Right Row (ladies) – Chris, Brenda, Eliza, Karen

Right Row (squat) – Sue, CJ

And the who is who in relation to my father....

Sons	Johnny CHIA		Daughters-in-law	Lily YEO
	Gordan CHIA			Kris LING
Daughters	Susie Celestina CHIA		Sons-in-law	Robert LEE
	Sophia CHIA
	CHIA Meng Choo			BONG Foot Ken
	ME			Johannes (Tony) LEUNG
Grand Sons	Cuthbert CHIA
	Adrian LEE			Katherine DAYRIT
	Columba James LEE
	BONG Lung Siang
Grand Daughters	Cindy Mary-Anne CHIA
	Brenda LEE
	BONG Sze Min
Great Grand Son	Dylan LEE
Great Grand Daughter	Elizah Dyanne LEE

It takes many years to have such a complete family photo and my daddy made it happens...

You call this SMALL?

When I tell my family that I am checking in to Cititel Hotel at Mid-Valley, they all gave the same comment that the room is very small and that one hardly have space to put the luaggage in the room and move around.

Well...How SMALL can this be??? Views from 27th Floor aren't bad either....

New Look

New Year, New Look??

Well I suppose I planned to cut my hair for a while already but just didn't had the time to do so. Under the recommendation of my niece Cindy, we went to this hair salon (Richard Hair Design) and walked out with complete satisfaction.

Bob cut, I didn't have this sort of hair style for many years but this hair style actually made me look 10 years younger (well, at least Johannes said this) .

This hair salon is located at Tun Jugah Shopping complex, Kuching.

My New Toy

I can't believe I actually bought this in Kuching, my hometown. The price is actually slightly cheaper (currency rate and tax) than in Europe but I also got a 4GB SDHC card, a Lumix camera case and a tripod for that price. Which is definitely cheaper than the cheapest one that I could find in the Netherlands.

After months of research, consideration and comparison I finally decided on this digital camera, it is still a point and shoot one but with a lot more manual options to manipulate. I have been toggling between a DSLR and this one, but I am now settled with Panasonic Lumix DMC LX3 because

(1) It doesn't give you the impression that it is a compact digicam

(2) It is smaller than any DSLR which means it can go into my handbag and I can continue with my street photo or spontaneous shots.

(3) This is a stepping stones for DSLR if I decided to progress further

Hopefully you will see nice photos and shots here in coming days...

Meeting My (Grand) Nephews and Nieces

From left to right: Cuthbert Chia (nephew), Brenda Lee (niece), Dylan Lee (grand nephew), Eliza Lee (grand niece), Karen (Adrian's wife), Adrian Lee (nephew), CJ Lee (nephew), Me or Johannes

Yesterday we went out for lunch with my some of my (grand) nephews and nieces.

I finally met my eldest nephew (Adrian Lee) after 13 years. It has been awhile and he is now married with 2 children which makes the family relationship rather difficult to distinguish. I guess his son and daughter is my grand nephew and grand niece, I am their grand auntie??? (complicated and I can't get use to that terminology)

They flew off to Miri yesterday evening so that they could return home at Brunei. Although the world is small now but frankly speaking, I have no idea when will we meet again…. but surely in His time.

And so we said Good-Bye

Dad’s condition worsen today, the dripping couldn’t pass through his hand and has to do it from his leg. The oxygen dosage increased. I thought Dad want to see everybody but with such a weak breathing, how long can he hang on? Lord Jesus, You are in control of this situation. It is such a pain to see him suffers…. His hands and legs are getting colder… I counted his breathing pattern, he took a breath at the count of 5, when my youngest brother came by, I told him about Dad’s condition. I keep on the count of 5, at one moment, I told my brother, it is now count of 6, then we saw our dad shredded his shoulders and bite his tongue ….

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away… and so we said Good-Bye and bid Farewell to him, he leaves in peace

Matthew CHIA Swee Hee (谢瑞喜)

Born on 14^th May 1931

Return to the Lord on 24^th January 2008, 8.00pm

At Kuching General Hospital

Age 78

~~~

Death is the beginning of Eternity

~~~

Precious Moments....

PRECIOUS MOMENTS - No other people, just me, Daddy and God… and the Lord made everything possible.

I asked ‘You are Christian right?’ He nodded his head

I asked again ‘Do you believe Jesus loves you?’ He said it out ‘Yes’

I asked ‘Jesus will take you with Him?’ He smiled and grinned his eyes to denote a ‘Yes’

Finally I said ‘If you go, I will see you in heaven.’ He replied 'See you there'.

This is what happen before the above conversation took place,

(1) He opens his eyes wide and smile at me, like a very home welcoming smile

(2) He wipes my tears off my eyes with his very own fingers and hand….

(3) He asked ‘Where is Tony (Johannes)?’, I told him that Tony couldn’t make it home with me, but he is very worry about you.

(4) He asked again ‘Where is Tee Tee (Gordon, my youngest brother)?’, I told him Tee Tee just went back home to rest because he has been taking care of you last night. He nodded and acknowledged.

(5) He smile a lot today, with rather peaceful and relax smile, the best I have seen so far….

(6) He tried his very best to rest and he doesn’t pull the oxygen tube away anymore in fact if the tube falls out, he try his best to put it back again to the right position.

(7) He coughs a lot, most like just the hollow sound because he didn’t have the energy to split out anything…

(8) He answered ‘No’ when I asked if he is suffering from pain. This is my daddy a rather strong and tough guy..

(9) He holds my hand tightly… like an assurance from Heaven.…

In Moments Like This...

Yesterday I had this 45 min to an hour with my father alone at his bedside while others were busy with something. Dad experienced sudden difficulty in breathing. I was alarmed and suspecting that the oxygen has finished and thus call the nurse to help, for some reason the oxygen was not turn on and that the nurse has to turn it on.

In moment like this, I didn’t know what to do and what to say. Dad held my hand as if he has something to say but couldn’t articulate any word and I was thinking what should I do in moment like this and suddenly the presence of the Lord was so strong and the Lord reminded me of the ever lasting Father’s love. I could feel God’s presence and comfort, and as my hand is in my Dad’s hand, it was like God the Father is holding my other hand and I am so close to Him. God is saying ‘my child, do not be afraid, for I am with you’. That very moment I knew that as my Father in Heaven is holding my hand and leading me, He is also holding the very same hand of my daddy. In moments like this, I know that although for most parts of my life I am not always next to my daddy but I know that I am definitely with him walking off the last journey. As I am holding my Daddy’s hands, God the Father is also there holding my other hand. Then I realized that word is not just for me, but the same words are also for my father.

I just burst out in tears and prayed in my spirit acknowledging my Heavenly Father’s love and also the very same love that God has for my father and the same love from my earthly father.

In moments like this, there is nothing needs to be said or be done, as I hold on to my father’s hand, I know a song of joy starts flowing in my spirit and in his…..

Rain, RAIN go away

It has been raining, RAIN, RAIN, RAIN… The last time I heard such a strong torrential rain sound is probably July last year in Sabah. The weather has not been warm, rather mild in a way it has not gone up to 26C so far. But the humidity is killing me… very humid, with the rain especially. Last night I took a cold shower to wash away the stickiness on my body and the sweat after the flight, but dampness comes by quickly.

The photo was taken this morning around 7am, the dark cloud is still hovering.... looks like another rainy day.

This is My Dad

Back to Kuching, Cuthbert picked me up from airport and we went to hospital directly. My second sister Sophia is already there. Dad still recognized me and able to call my name and touch me. His breathing however is really weak and need to rely on the oxygen supply but he keeps pulling the tube out from his nose. I am still in the hospital while writing this, waiting for my eldest brother – Johnny to take over the night shift. It’s a relief to my family that we are able to share the load of looking after our dad while they have been doing that for few weeks. My youngest brother is coming back home tomorrow from Singapore with his wife. Dad’s breathing is getting better now, hopefully he will have a good night rest and hang on, I really don’t know what his last wishes are but I prayed that Jesus will fulfill all his desires before he ends his life on earth. I don’t know what to expect really but just praying that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Every day that he lives is already a great blessing to us in the family.

Home is Calling

21^st Jan 2009, Kuala Lumpur 24C

This is an unexpected trip but if the timing is now then the trip must happened. It was rather rushed yesterday, once the decision is made, the rush follows.. rush to buy air ticket, rush home to pack, rush to airport. Thanked God that I am able to sleep and rest for the entire trip. I had a very deep and sound sleep as if the Lord knows that I need extra energy once I reached Kuching.

A taxi ride from KLIA to LCCT costs RM35 or RM50 (depending on the type of taxi) but a bus ride costs RM1.5, I am not stingy but just being wise with money, why should I pay the premium for nothing, I am not in a hurry and no big luggage, so the bus is just fine.

Finally checked-in to the flight to Kuching, hate the Air Asia’s chaotic and charging me RM60 for 2.8 kg access. If not because there is no availability on MAS, I wouldn’t opt for Air Asia. Anyway, the importance is to be home as soon as possible. Talked to Sophia, she was in Cindy’s car then on the way to hospital. Cuthbert will be picking me up later tonight.

Bought a cup of Coffee Bean Ice Blended Coffee the ultimate, costs RM12.90, thing is definitely not cheap anymore.

Now, waiting for boarding...

Flying Home

I am sitting at KLM crown lounge now, awaiting for my flight to take off to Kuala Lumpur. Dad's situation worsen, and I guess the moment is now or never for me to go home. Thanked God for the swift arrangement of the flight tickets and also work at the office. Thanked God for everyone tha tis understanding at work. Tonight will be a long journey. Dad, please hang on and wait for a little while, I want to see you alive.

Lord, take me home safely.

In His Time, I will SEE you SOON

This afternoon I received an email from my sister informing me that Dad is admitted to hospital again.

I called sister and sister-in-law to find out the latest development. Dad was at the hospital when I called and his blood sugar was too high as he hasn’t been taking his medicine.

I asked myself when is the right time to go home? I asked this question to my sister in law, to Johannes and to God.

I know that there is a time and season for every activity under the sun. Lord, tell me when is the right time? I want to go back when he is still alive, I don’t want to go back merely for his funeral. Father in Heaven, I pray that You will take good care of my dad so that he doesn’t suffer, I dare not ask that You heal him completely but I just pray that You will ease his pains and sufferings, give him Your peace…and keep him safe till I meet him face to face.

Remake of Nippon Omen

Despite of thinking of eating out tonight, we finally decided to cook and eat at home. So what for dinner tonight?? I am keen on the remake of the Omen Nippon and the vegetable zen garden, so we settled with udon tonight.

Johannes is responsible for the soup and the udon. The soup is made of Dashi and mirin with a few chucks of leek. While the udon is made of a pack of dried udon boiled to soften the texture and is served dry top with shredded nori

I made this zen garden with Cucumber, leek, spring onion, white reddish pickle (taikon) and some shredded ginger. Then I decided to decorate this plate of vegetables with smoked salmon rolled to a stone shape. These are all for the eye illustration.

Then we also had two chicken yakitory as side dishes (leftover from last night).

and some seasoned dried tiny Japanese anchovies that I bought from Kyoto.

This is how my bowl looks half way

Finally, this is how my bowl looks, only a few white sesame scattered around to show my sense of satisfaction.

Lemon Meringue Pie in café Wester Paviljoen

This afternoon after the church workers' meeting, we rushed to Rotterdam as I would like to buy a new digital camera before the shop closed at 5pm. Anyhow, the model that I want is currently out of stock and thus I have to reserve and wait for two weeks. After that we went to this cozy cafe called the Wester Paviljoen in Rotterdam. Now that smoking is prohibited in this country, I feel more enjoyable nowadays indulging in cafés as it is smoke free and the air is clean compared to the smoky atmosphere in the past.

I ordered this Lemon Pie, which taste quite good, not too sweet and went well with the black espresso. I like the meringue top, lightly burnt and fluffy. The lemon custard itself is light and airily which the side edge of the bottom was a bit hard, has to use force with my fork in order to break crush it into pieces.

Johannes ordered the carrot cake and he likes the cream more than the cake. The side of the cream is coated with some shredded coconut which accent the taste and flavors.

Up Close and Personal with Geisha (芸妓) and Maiko (舞子)

Now, let me switch to a different topic. If you watched the movie ‘Memoir of a Geisha’, you would probably know that Geisha's are trained in Kyoto and the apprentice Geisha is called Maiko (舞子). They are traditional female Japanese entertainers that still exist in Japan.

There were several occasions where we spotted Geisha's,

The very first time we spotted Geisha was at night at Gion (祇園) district – Kyoto traditional pleasure quarter, somewhere at Hanamikoji-dori (花见小路通) where all the ochaya or tea houses are concentrated. While strolling on Hanamikoji-dori, we could hear music and laughter’s from inside, but all the ochaya are very secluded and we almost see nothing inside. We saw some maiko or geisha walked pass us in the hurry like rushing for the next appointment, and also saw geisha with a male Japanese guy next to each other, may be this man is her danah? We didn’t take any pictures because it was dark and these geisha and maiko walked really fast.

When we were exploring Southern Higashimaya area, we spotted a couples of them, all the photos above were taken at Southern Higashimaya and they sometime come out in a group of 2 or 4. In reality how many of them are real ones? After all there are more or less 8000 of them in Japan. Furthermore there are a few institutions in Kyoto providing the service of re-making of Geisha or Maiko with the option of taking a stroll in the costumes. It is in fact the desire of many Japanese ladies to be able to dress up as Geisha and that's why all the 'Geisha' or 'Maiko' in the photo are not by professional but re-make.

Anyway, I still find them quite fascinating...

Blessed Dorayaki (招福三笠)

The packaging (taken in Japan)

Dorayaki with the stamp, call upon the blessings (招福)

Dorayaki when uncovered

The thin layer of mochi inside

This is another type of Dorayaki (三笠) that I have bought back to try at home. What is so different from previous one that I have posted before? Well there are hundred versions of Dorayaki although mostly made of sandwiched pancake with azuki paste in between. This one has a different word stamp on the pancake, and besides the azuki paste, there is also a layer of thin stretchy mochi which enhanced the texture of Dorayaki.

Kyoto Food: Matcha Kitkat

Something green, something made from Uji tea, something so Kyoto. This is Kitkat – yeah, the usual kitkat chocolate bar, you get this in white chocolate sometime but getting this in green tea flavor has to be so uniquely Kyoto or some thing from Kansai region. Taste wise, this kitkat green tea chocolate is really nice, it melts in your mouth directly and gives you the smooth, milky texture and yet the bitter (from green tea) and sweetness (from white chocolate) flavors. Hmmmm....

UDON-udon

This is what we ate for dinner last night. Another Japanese flare and it is a rather simple daily meal. The recipe is from a Japanese cookbook that we borrowed from the library.

The ingredients are rather simple too, fresh udon, mushroom, chicken tights meat, a bit of leek and some spinach and egg.

The soup is where the zest of the noodles lie, soup made of sake and mirin and dashi. All three are the basic kitchen for Japanese food.

Manga (Komikku) Culture

We all know that Japanese comic is very popular. From my childhood I have been reading Japanese comic translated to Chinese, where the pretty girls are always with big eyes, nut shape face and, in long socks and short skirt. Well, the comic may have evolved now since my time, but overall comic is still very popular in Japan. Apparently, reading manga is a temporary escape of reality and indulgence into a comic world of romance, violence , adventure, sports or even sexuality. Due to the rigidness of the Japanese society, comic is a form of release from tension, social obligation and lack of space.

There was one night, we walked into a 24 hours manga store where with a little fee, one can have unlimited drinks, free read of manga, magazines and even an assigned cubical space with computer and internet for people to watch DVD, listen to music or interneting. We did that for an hour or so… just for the fun of it.

Japanese Plastic Food Display

So far I have been talking about real food, now how about the famous Japanese plastic food display which is purely for your eyes only. The plastic food displays come in real size and look real, these are usually display at the entrance or the window of the restaurants. They are quite enticing and visual in a way making those with language problem able to select base on the display instead of reading from the menu.